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Title: MULTIWAVELENGTH EVIDENCE FOR QUASI-PERIODIC MODULATION IN THE GAMMA-RAY BLAZAR PG 1553+113

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal Letters
;  [1];  [2]; ; ; ; ; ;  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6]; ;  [7];  [8];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [12];
  1. Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen (Germany)
  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Kinard Lab of Physics, Clemson, SC 29634-0978 (United States)
  3. W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Department of Physics and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
  4. Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, Department of Physics and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)
  5. Laboratoire AIM, CEA-IRFU/CNRS/Université Paris Diderot, Service d’Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, F-91191 Gif sur Yvette (France)
  6. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy)
  7. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, I-35131 Padova (Italy)
  8. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
  9. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)
  10. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)
  11. Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Torino, I-10125 Torino (Italy)
  12. Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université Montpellier, CNRS/IN2P3, Montpellier (France)
+ Show Author Affiliations

We report for the first time a γ-ray and multiwavelength nearly periodic oscillation in an active galactic nucleus. Using the Fermi Large Area Telescope we have discovered an apparent quasi-periodicity in the γ-ray flux (E > 100 MeV) from the GeV/TeV BL Lac object PG 1553+113. The marginal significance of the 2.18 ± 0.08 year period γ-ray cycle is strengthened by correlated oscillations observed in radio and optical fluxes, through data collected in the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, Tuorla, Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, and Catalina Sky Survey monitoring programs and Swift-UVOT. The optical cycle appearing in ∼10 years of data has a similar period, while the 15 GHz oscillation is less regular than seen in the other bands. Further long-term multiwavelength monitoring of this blazar may discriminate among the possible explanations for this quasi-periodicity.

OSTI ID:
22518686
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 813, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Cited By (34)

A decade of warm hot intergalactic medium searches: Where do we stand and where do we go?: NICASTRO et al journal March 2017
The BL Lac PG 1553+113: a supermassive binary black hole candidate journal July 2019
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A 34.5 day quasi-periodic oscillation in γ-ray emission from the blazar PKS 2247–131 journal November 2018
Observations of the missing baryons in the warm–hot intergalactic medium journal June 2018
Long-term optical monitoring of TeV emitting blazars: I. Data analysis⋆ journal December 2018
Study on Variability and Spectral Properties of Blazar 3C 273 with Long-term Multi-band Optical Monitoring from 2006 to 2015 journal January 2018
Gamma-ray quasi-periodicities of blazars. A cautious approach journal October 2018
Blazar Mrk 501 shows rhythmic oscillations in its γ-ray emission journal May 2019
Spectral energy distributions of candidate periodically variable quasars: testing the binary black hole hypothesis journal December 2019
Pulsar timing constraints on the Fermi massive black hole binary blazar population journal August 2018
On the Time Scales of Optical Variability of AGN and the Shape of Their Optical Emission Line Profiles journal February 2019
Detection of Periodic Radio Signal from the Blazar J1043+2408 journal December 2018
Gamma-Ray Astrophysics in the Time Domain journal January 2019
Systematic Study of Gamma-Ray-Bright Blazars with Optical Polarization and Gamma-Ray Variability journal December 2016
Two Transient X-Ray Quasi-periodic Oscillations Separated by an Intermediate State in 1H 0707-495 journal February 2018
The Blazar PG 1553+113 as a Binary System of Supermassive Black Holes journal February 2018
Fast γ -Ray Variability in Blazars beyond Redshift 3 journal February 2018
Optical Flux and Spectral Variability of the TeV Blazar PG 1553+113 journal January 2019
Characteristic Variability Timescales in the Gamma-Ray Power Spectra of Blazars journal October 2019
X-Ray Spectral Variations of Synchrotron Peak in BL Lacs journal October 2019
Supermassive Binaries in Quasars and BL Lac Objects: Electromagnetic and Gravitational Wave Emissions journal April 2019
Primary Black hole spin in oj 287 as Determined by the General Relativity Centenary Flare text January 2016
Gamma-ray blazar spectra with H.E.S.S. II mono analysis: the case of PKS 2155-304 and PG 1553+113 text January 2016
Gamma-ray blazar spectra with H.E.S.S. II mono analysis: The case of PKS 2155−304 and PG 1553+113 journal April 2017
Detection of Periodic Radio Signal from the Blazar J1043+2408 preprint September 2018
Primary black hole spin in OJ287 as determined by the General Relativity centenary flare text January 2016
Systematic Study of Gamma-ray bright Blazars with Optical Polarization and Gamma-ray Variability text January 2016
Two transient X-ray Quasi-Periodic Oscillations separated by an intermediate state in 1H 0707-495 text January 2017
Pulsar Timing Constraints on the Fermi Massive Black-Hole Binary Blazar Population text January 2018
Gamma-ray quasi-periodicities of blazars. A cautious approach text January 2018
A 34.5 day quasi-periodic oscillation in gamma-ray emission from the blazar PKS 2247-131 text January 2018
Spectral Energy Distributions of Candidate Periodically-Variable Quasars: Testing the Binary Black Hole Hypothesis text January 2019
X-ray spectral variations of synchrotron peak in BL Lacs text January 2019

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Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ACCRETION DISKS
BL LACERTAE OBJECTS
GALAXIES
GAMMA RADIATION
GEV RANGE
GHZ RANGE
JETS
MEV RANGE
MODULATION
OSCILLATIONS
PERIODICITY
TELESCOPES
TEV RANGE